Everything you need to know about the raw aged goat cheese

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February 12, 2021

The farm staff and myself recently sampled over 20 different types of raw goat cheese… and a goat’s milk caramel. Oh my, they are all so yummy. Our favorites are now available in the store!

Compared to cow cheese, goat cheese has a tart, earthy flavor. From the extra sharp Kidchego to the spicy Monterey hot jack to a traditional goat gouda to a mild and smooth goat yogurt cheese, these cheeses do not taste “goat-y”.

I also went a little deeper and interviewed Amos Miller from Misty Creek Goat Dairy.

Amos makes the new goat cheeses. He is also the goat farmer AND farmer Aaron’s uncle.

Amos is a first generation dairy goat farmer and has been raising dairy goats for 20 years.

After Amos’ father narrowly skirted death after having his wisdom teeth pulled in 1966, his mother’s dream was to have a dairy goat operation on the property she lived on. After his mother passed in 2000, Amos and his wife moved back onto the property to fulfill her dream and started farming dairy goats.

In the end, his mother’s dream became their dream! And, now, his two sons continue the legacy and have goat dairy farms themselves. In fact, our goat milk comes from Crystal Brook Farm, Amos’s son Henry’s farm.

Amos is a first generation cheesemaker, too. He started making cheese because, well, he really likes cheese. He said, “There’s just something about it.”

For years, Amos took all kinds of cheesemaking classes, many of which were hosted at a local cheese conference. He hired a cheese consultant to help, too. As Amos said, it was “a lot of classes, a lot of conferences, and a lot of rubbing elbows.” He officially started making his own cheese about 10 years ago.

Amos makes all of his cheese on premises and ages it in reefer trucks specially outfitted for cheese aging.

When cheese is made on the same farm that the milk comes from, like Amos’s goat cheese, it’s called “farmstead” cheese. When you buy milk in and turn it into cheese, it’s called “artisanal”.

Amos is very small in the world of cheesemaking. He makes about 50,000 lbs per year.

The goat herd at Misty Creek Goat Dairy has about 100-120 goats.

There are a lot of crosses between Saanen, Alpine, LaMancha, Nubian, and Toggenburg. He’s working to switch to a 100% Alpine herd, but it will take a few years. He aims to have the highest quality stock.

The goats go out on pasture in the warmer months and are given free access to an organic feed year round.

The pelleted goat feed is GMO free and soy free. It contains corn, wheat middlings, wheat, canola meal, sunflower meal, field peas, calcium, molasses, salt, magnesium oxide, manganese sulfate, and sunflower oil. They also give goats kelp for nutrition.

There are many nutritional benefits to eating goat cheese.

Since goat’s milk is naturally A2, it’s highly digestible.

It contains a good amount of vitamins, minerals, and healthy fats. This includes copper, riboflavin, and calcium.

The fatty acids in goat cheese metabolize faster than those in cow cheese. This means you will feel full faster and perhaps eat less, which is great for those concerned about overeating.

Many people feel that cow milk produces too much mucus in their system. And, switching to goat milk solves this problem. This is true for Amos’s wife, a nice perk of having a goat dairy :)

Cheese is such a healthy food. Learn a lot more about the reasons why here.

Misty Creek Goat Dairy uses vegetable rennet to make their cheese. This means the cheese is vegetarian.

Amos has a lot of vegetarian customers, and he wanted to make his cheese accessible to them. The rennet he uses is a fermentation-produced chymosin. I recently learned a lot about rennet, and you can read about my rennet research here.

My final question for Amos was “What’s your favorite cheese?” Amos’s answer was “It depends what mood I’m in.”

I agree! There are so many delicious cheeses out there, and each is special in its own way. Maybe I’m in the mood for a stinky blue cheese with a punch, or maybe a goat cheddar for snacking, or maybe a creamy goat yogurt cheese on a toasted sandwich.

I highly suggest giving the new raw aged goat cheese a try. If you have any questions about them, please let me know. I’m always happy to help!

Raw Dairy

Farming Practices

Health and Nutrition

See a volcano of pickles! The pluses and minuses of natural ferments.

A customer shared his farm food order with us on Instagram. Thanks for sharing, Nick! It included this amazing video of the volcano that can erupt from our fermented pickles: What's going on here? Why so many bubbles? Conventional pasteurized vinegar pickles (you know, the kind that are considered "normal") don't bubble at all. What you're seeing is the fermentation. When fermented pickles are made, it's a very simple process. The following is mixed in a jar: Cucumbers, well water, celery seed, mustard seed, dill, garlic, Celtic sea salt, and whey. Then, the jar sits with a loose lid for 3-7 days, until it's done fermenting. The seeds and herbs are in there for flavor only. The cucumbers, water, salt, and whey are what make the magic happen. Note that there is no powdered culture added. Yes, whey is added and it has probiotics, but it simply helps jumpstart the ferment. Even without the whey, those pickles would ferment. It would just take a little longer. This is because raw veggies naturally have lactic acid bacteria (LAB) in them. When you mix them with water and salt, it creates the perfect environment for them to grow. Pretty cool, right? The living microbiology (the LAB) grow and multiply. They eat the naturally occurring sugars and starches in the cucumbers and produce CO2, a gas. The fermentation carbonated the pickle brine! The fermentation made the volcano! It's also a sure sign that there's plenty of good probiotic stuff for your gut in that jar. The white stuff is yeast (most likely KAHM yeast). Another thing to notice in the jar is how the liquid is whitish, not clear. There's nothing unsafe about it. Yes, you can eat it! It's a natural part of fermentation. You see, KAHM yeast thrives in acidic environments. As that probiotic goodness ferments and creates CO2, it also creates lactic acid. The lactic acid not only gives pickles their distinct sour flavor but also makes the brine acidic. KAHM yeast is naturally in the air. It will land on a ferment and think "Gee, this would be a great home." And then it grows. It typically makes a film on the top of a ferment, but it can also sink to the bottom. With volcanic pickles, it gets all mixed up in the brine and will eventually settle. Fermented veggies are an acquired taste. Nick, who shared the volcanic pickles video, reported that: "The pickles are absolutely delicious. I love them!" But... we sometimes get complaints about the flavor of the pickles and the white stuff. Is Nick's palate simply more accustomed to ferments? Were some jars of pickles actually off? It's really hard to say... especially when you're not there smelling and tasting it yourself. What I do know is that fermented veggies are an acquired taste. They're very different from the distinct pasteurized vinegar pickle flavor you likely grew up with. Fermented pickles have umami to them (think about that "weird" flavor in miso or a very sharp aged cheese). They have a lot of tang. They can even taste metallic. Some may feel a burn on their tongue (that's the lactic acid by the way). You may want to try making some at home (as I said before, it's pretty easy). That way, you can taste the flavor throughout the fermentation process and put it in the fridge when you think they're just right. Fermented veggies can last months in the fridge with proper maintenance. Here are a few tips to keep them in their best shape. Always store in the fridge. This will slow down the fermentation so they don't get overdone. If you leave them on the counter (especially pickles), they'll get quite sour and mushy pretty quickly. Never freeze ferments. They'll just get mushy. Make sure the veggies are always covered with brine. If the brine falls below the veggies, simply add more water and sea salt. So easy! If the veggies aren't covered, they can grow mold or dry out and become yucky. If there's too much KAHM yeast, remove it. KAHM yeast is perfectly safe to eat. However, it can have an off-putting flavor, especially when there's too much. If it's on the top of the brine, simply scoop it off. If it's all mixed up in the brine, let the jar sit for a day or two so it settles. Once it sinks to the bottom of the jar, you can remove the pickles and clean brine (leaving the white stuff at the bottom), clean the jar, and then put the pickles and brine back in. Voila! With this in mind, you might be wondering... Can ferments become unsafe? If a lacto-fermented veggie goes wrong, it will be pretty obvious. It may have a repulsive smell, flashy colors (like pink or black mold), or a foul flavor. While a normal ferment should have a sour, tangy smell, a bad ferment will smell putrid or rotten. This can be a little tricky, especially if you're new to ferments. The flavor can be wild! Often you simply need to trust your gut. Although getting used to ferments can take some time and know how, it's worth it. Why? They're just so darn good for your gut. They're packed with a range of lactic acid bacteria. Fermented veggies usually have bifidobacteria, too, which isn't prevalent in fermented dairy but is crucial for healthy digestion. When you have robust and healthy gut microbiology: The bad stuff simply can't grow. You're less likely to get sick. Your digestion is better overall, meaning that you get max nutrition from the food you eat.Your gut can better produce essential nutrients like short-chain fatty acids and vitamins B1, B9, B12, and K.You can experience less inflammation.Your gut-brain connection is better. You may find yourself in a better mood, with less stress. There's probably so much more, but those are the top ones for me! Do you eat or make ferments? Why or why not? Have you tried the pickles? What's your experience? I'd love to hear from you! Comment below (no account required - start typing for the guest option to appear) or contact us.

Everything you need to know about the raw aged goat cheese

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Miller's Bio Farm, 523 Valley Road, Quarryville, PA 17566